


Book One: Lunar Sylph

by La wen Shoufei (Raven_Charge), LadyOfTheOldWorld



Series: Bending the Moon [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/F, F/M, Gay Male Character, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Character of Color, M/M, Multi, Nightmares, Originally Posted on deviantART, Other, Out of Character, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-24 06:41:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2571878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_Charge/pseuds/La%20wen%20Shoufei, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyOfTheOldWorld/pseuds/LadyOfTheOldWorld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Time of Avatar Aang has passed and it’s time for a new Avatar to take the reigns and keep balance in the world. Avatar Korra is young and untested, is she the Avatar the world needs? As if keeping balance wasn’t hard enough, there have been stirrings of unrest in Republic City. Aang’s son, Tenzin is trying to keep order but will his mission end in disaster? </p><p>As Avatar Korra arrives unannounced from the South Pole, Tenzin’s job only gets that much more difficult. Along with dealing with the Avatar the four nations each have a prodigy or two that seem to be popping up out of nowhere. These nine young ladies seem to share a connection beyond that of friendship. Who are these prodigious benders and how are they connected?</p><p>So many questions and so few answers in the first book of the Bending the Moon series, Lunar Sylph.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. So Our Story Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Note that this story is based off of an ongoing RP between my Co-Author and I so it will only get updated when a long enough section has been typed out, checked for spelling and grammar mistakes and confirmed to be good by both Authors.
> 
> There will be no transformations into the Sailor Senshi in the first book, the Sailor Moon characters have simply been added to the Legend of Korra universe. Their powers relate only to what they specialize in ie: Jupiter will specialize in Lightning Generation. 
> 
> If you have a problem with any of this please go back to your previous page, we won't think any less of you for it.

The Northern Air Temple was cold, as always. The skinny blonde was the only one currently awake, the eyes that defined her as having Earth Kingdom blood were as sharp as the hard angles and lines of her face and physique. She was always the first one awake to train or meditate, and the last one to go to sleep at night, also mediating. At times, she didn’t even sleep, simply meditating for the entire night. Being the first one awake, and the one with the sharpest sight, she saw the approaching airship. As the oldest of the students not yet a master – she would be receiving her tattoos within the next few days – she knew she would have been asked to greet whomever had come. When she reached the dock, she frowned a bit. That was a Northern Water Tribe insignia. Well, things were certainly bound to get interesting.

As the airship docked and its ramp descended a young woman with harsh features walked down the smooth metal with a black wolfbear at her heels. Her violet eyes spoke of her mixed Fire Nation, Water Tribe heritage, her blue vest left her pale arms unprotected but she didn't shiver. The wolfbear looked over her shoulder as it panted, grinning at the blonde that approached.

For a moment, the blonde and the ravenette stared at each other. Then the blonde smirked. "It's been a long time, Hotaru. How have you been?" The two had gotten to know each other, as the Northern Air Temple was always the first and last place the ravenette and her tribe stopped, when leaving or returning to the Northern Water Tribe. They also wrote letters, whenever the ravenette could give the blonde a reliable address.

Pale lips curled in a smirk "Master Shin finally declared that I'm a Waterbending Master when I finally got around to staying in the capital for enough time to be tested." Her tribe had always been nomadic and very rarely went to the capital except to trade. "I was the last to be seen, I don't think he wanted me to pass."

"Of course he didn't," the slightly older woman scoffed. "Men always hate when women have as much or more power than they do, especially the so-called 'traditionalists'." Shaking her head, the emerald-eyed woman stepped aside, gesturing for the ravenette to follow her. "I'm fairly sure you have more world news than I do, being stuck here until I get my Masters Tattoos..." She was not looking forward to shaving her head for the process, but was willing to part with her hair in the face of finally being recognized as an Airbending Master. And for being able to leave the temple, finally.... she had someone in the Northern Water Tribe she wanted to see again.

"You remember Desna and Eska, yes?"

"How could I forget?" The blonde - her name was Haruka, fitting for her personality - laughed a bit. Eska had almost been one of her... conquests, as some put it. When she had realized that the woman was a bit too... literal for her tastes, Haruka had decided that perhaps pursuing something with her wasn't the best idea. "What about them?"

"I met their cousin Korra while in the South Pole, she is the new Avatar."

"I suppose that means she'll be heading for Republic City soon?" The blonde led the ravenette to her room, getting them both tea as well. As the only woman in this temple, she was given her own room. She was originally supposed to be in the Eastern Air Temple, but had refused to be moved there, so accommodations had been made.

Hotaru's companion flopped down outside the door as the woman in question settled herself on the floor. "No, she is being kept inside a compound by the White Lotus. I was only let in because of Cuervo and her own companion, a Polar BearDog named Naga."

"I see..." Nodding, Haruka poured them both tea, before settling cross-legged on the floor as well. "Is there anything else interesting going on in the world?" Then she smirked a bit crookedly. "Michi's cousin still giving her grief?" Michi, or rather Michiru, was a friend of both the blonde and the ravenette, though Haruka harbored feelings for the aquanette. As for the cousin in question, the girl took far more after her Earth kingdom blood than her Water Tribe heritage in looks, though she couldn’t Earthbend. The redhead was just as adverse to societal conventions as Hotaru was, but could do very little about it. So, she was prone to acting out and rebelling whenever the opportunity presented itself, and was known for giving her much more ladylike cousin headaches near constantly.

"I've heard some rumors flying around Republic City." She swirled her tea as she thought about what she had heard. "I asked around to see how true they were, turns out they are very true if Tarrlok is to be believed." A quiet sip as she waited for the question.

Realizing that now wasn't the time for that, Haruka nodded. "From what you've said, Tarrlok isn't always to be believed... But aside from that, I have a request to make of you." As she waited for Hotaru's answer, the blonde sipped at her tea as well.

"You want me to take you to Republic City in my airship?"

"Yes, though I would have said that I'd like you to take me there... once I've received my Masters Tattoos tomorrow."

"I was planning to head back into the city, Cuervo doesn't like it but I have business there."

“Then we’re agreed?”

"Yes, I'll take you to the city on my airship."

"Thank you," Haruka nodded.

"It's warmer in the city, and it's basically the exact opposite of the Temple."

"There is an island there, where the son of the previous Avatar, Tenzin, and his children reside. It's known as Air Temple Island. I'm hoping that Tenzin – though I suppose I should call him Master Tenzin – will allow me to stay there."

"He is supposed to be heading to the South Pole to begin Korra's Airbending training but I doubt he'll stay. The city needs all of its council members."

"The Avatar will be coming to Republic City, then?" Finishing her tea, Haruka poured herself another cup, sipping at it as she watched Hotaru thoughtfully.

"No, the White Lotus and Tenzin won't allow it."

"From what little I've heard, the Avatar is stubborn. She'll find a way, or she'll force a way."

"If she does end up in the City then you get to deal with her on the Island."

"I look forward to meeting her." And perhaps bedding her, as she had heard that the Avatar was as beautiful as she was strong.

"Well while you deal with Tenzin and his three children I'll be on the other side of the city doing business with some friends of my Father's."

The blonde made a face. "I hope the children know how to behave, or I might end up accidentally sending them off into deep water..." Not that she ever actually would, but Haruka only ever had a certain amount of patience for children. A smirk twitched her lips. "One of the Triads, I assume?" Even they had heard of the groups in the City. "Or perhaps something a bit more legal, such as Future Industries? Rumors say the Sato daughter is beautiful, after all." And Haruka would know about such rumors, being whom she was.

"We're talking about Meelo and Ikki here; Meelo is like 5 and Ikki is a motor-mouth. Jinora is pretty well behaved." She sipped at her tea, smirking ever so slightly. "I said my Father's friends, not mine, Haruka. I'll be staying at the Sato Mansion should you need me."

"...Then they had best learn how to swim. Quickly," Haruka deadpanned. Sipping at her own tea, the blonde waved off the ravenette's words. "Often, as I've come to learn, the two are one and the same – you just know how to deal with them better."

"I can deal with the Triads when necessary but I prefer to work with Hiroshi and Asami."

A smirk that was all humor and no bite twitched the slightly older woman's lips. "I think we both know what kind of deals you prefer with Asami." Haruka's smirk gained a bitter edge. "But speaking of dealing with people, is there anything new going on in Zaofu? More to the point, how is my  _darling_  brother? He hasn't written me in some time." More accurately, she hadn't heard from him in two years, not since the letter letting her know he had been made Suyin's Captain of the Guard.

"They're busy working on a big performance, Suyin takes pride in what she does."

The sound the Airbender made into her tea could only be called a snort of amusement. "Yes, well, I'm _sure_ Kalen enjoys that..." The sarcasm was obvious in her voice. "Enough about my dysfunctional family, though. Anything else new of interest? The North still the same?" Yes, she was fishing for information on Michiru again, now that the serious things were taken care of.

"If you want to know about Michiru we can stop by the North."

"So you'd rather that, than just tell me and save us the time?" Haruka's grin was cheeky.

"I can also leave you here if you dislike my methods."

"Spirits, you still can't take a joke, can you?" The blonde's small smile said she was still just gently teasing her long-time best friend.

Her eyes darkened and her bangs shadowed her face. "You know I can't, thanks to my father!"

Flinching when she realized she'd done it again -- teased a little too much -- Haruka set down her tea and scooted closer to her friend. Wrapping long, lean arms around the other, she pulled the slightly shorter female against her chest. "I'm sorry, Princess," she murmured, gently carding her fingers through short, silky dark locks. "I went too far again. You know I don't mean to hurt you, I just don't filter that which comes out of my mouth very well at times..." Being just barely three years older than Hotaru, Haruka had always treated and loved the Waterbender as both her best friend, and her sister. Murmuring soft words of comfort and apology, the blonde gently pressed a kiss to the crown of the ravenette's head .

She snorted and set down her tea, the warmth long gone, as she forced herself to relax. "I know but you also know not to bring up...that." That of course was the fact that her body was so fragile at birth and as a young child that she had easily been taken over by one of the few Dark Spirits left. When it finally left her body was on the verge of collapsing, she was taken to Republic City and given emergency surgery since even Katara had been unable to save her with Waterbending Healing. The surgery had given her mechanical implants in several key parts of her body, including several parts of her brain. She sometimes didn't get the cues that others did like joking or sadness.

"I know," the emerald-eyed Airbender murmured. Of course, Hotaru also knew that Haruka never apologized to anyone else, other than the ravenette herself. Well, and Michiru, but that was different. Knowing that they would have relatively little to do until the next day, the blonde decided to put forth an offer that would likely help them both unwind a bit. "Would you like to spar with me? We won't really have much to do until tomorrow, otherwise..."

"Sure, but I won't go easy on you. I also won't use any knives, this time."

"You can use them, you know; I won't make the mistakes I did last time." She still had a few scars from their last spar. One was on her shoulder, from where she hadn't noticed the knife until it was too late to block it. The scar on her neck, just under her collar, was more noticeable.

"Yeah, no. I tend to aim for vital area by instinct."

"Either you don't think I can handle it, or you don't want to accidentally kill me." A pause, then, "I'm not sure if I should thank you, or wonder about the specifics as to why you care so much..." Sometimes the blonde still got it stuck in her head that she wasn't worth being cared about. (It tended to happen when a boyish girl who could Airbend was given to the monks, but her oh-so-perfect older twin brother was whom their parents had given their lives to protect, just because he was the Earthbender they had really wanted.)

"You're one of my only friends, I'd like to keep you alive."

"Then thank you, Princess," Haruka laughed softly. Finishing her tea, the blonde let go of the ravenette, and stood to stretch. She wanted to be limber for their sparring, and her muscles had cooled since she had ceased her training earlier.

"I'm going to put Cuervo on my ship; with his black fur he can't stay in the sun too long. I also need to grab my skeins." Hotaru stood in one fluid movement, moving almost as if she was one with her element.

"And I'll go find us a training area not overrun by brats." Haruka more-or-less liked children, but as previously noted, she only had a certain amount of patience for them. And, for some reason, the youngest of the novice Airbenders were _brats_. She'd been caught contemplating throwing some of them off the mountain more than once.

"Mhm." She then strode out of the room, making a small whistle that had her companion on his paws in moments.

Once she had cleaned up the things from their tea, Haruka made her way out of her room in the dormitories and out to the grounds of the Temple. Making her way to one of the larger, but less secluded training areas, she greeted a few of her Masters along the way. Most only grudgingly respected her because of her abilities, while one or two actually liked her. Coming upon the training ground she had in mind, a slow smirk curled her lips. Well, she would know that mane of chestnut locks anywhere... Too bad she couldn't be here to see the hair he loved so much shaved off. Making no sound, she sent a blast of air at the brunette's back, wondering if she were still better than the only other student close to her own age of twenty.

Nathan – more often called Nate by those that considered him a friend – spun around and directed the air away from him quickly.

The blonde smirked. "You're getting better." Even as she spoke, she was rapidly sending gusts of slicing wind and blasts of concussive air force at the brunette. "But still not good enough." This was one thing that they shared, one thing that no other Airbender would trust them because of. They both had a vicious streak, a part of them that was willing to use force and to even kill if the need arose, despite what they had been taught. Rather, what their Masters had _tried_ to teach them.

Nate smirked and nodded, directing all of the air with relative ease.

Hotaru, having returned by this time, uncapped one of her skeins and held the water carefully before sending a gentle blast at the blonde's back.

Grinning, Haruka used the force of the air to evade the water, facing both of her opponents at the same time. "Two on one? _Finally_ some good competition," she teased gently. The blonde had always been something of a prodigy when it came to Airbending, and she could even wipe the floor with most of the Masters by this point. Multiple opponents, however, were a good challenge and one she enjoyed. It exercised both her mind and her bending skill.

"Don't forget you're facing a master here." Hotaru uncapped her other skeins and took a deep breath. Eyes narrowing, she pulled the water back to her, sending a small wave towards the ground, one hand poised to freeze it when ready.

"We're all on equal footing, then," Haruka returned, sending a blast of air she head heated enough to either make steam, or dissipate the water at the ravenette. "Of course, you and I always were, generally speaking." It was teasing slight meant for her only male friend.

Hotaru smirked as the steam began to cover the area. ' _Gotcha_ ,' she thought, as she made a fist and the steam froze around them, freezing all three of them as they stood. Her eyes glittered with amusement as she began to thaw the ice around herself but left her opponents frozen.

Haruka realized she had played right into Hotaru's hands a second too late. ' _Well_ ,' was all the frozen Airbender could think, ' _at least Nate's looking just as gob-smacked as I feel..._ ' Now, she just had to wait and see what her 'sister' would do. Knowing Hotaru, it would likely be something to be teased about for years to come. Not that the blonde really minded all too much, but still.

Hotaru smirked and waved at the blonde, before she thawed the ice and let it swirl around her before siphoning it back into her skeins. "I told you that you were facing a master, Haruka."

"Yes." With as much time as it took to register a breath of air, the blonde was behind the ravenette, razor-sharp blades formed from near-solid wind at the other's throat. "But we are both masters." This was another thing that people had always feared about her. She was able to make blades of wind without the use of a staff, and she had no issues with using them.

Instinct made the raven freeze but her hands began to move, though no water seemed to be moving with her, until two sudden ice hands grabbed the blonde's throat as water was pulled from the air around her. That wasn't Hotaru's first instinct, but she had managed to keep from doing something _highly_ illegal with only the barest amount of control. In fact, her hands had begun the movements to use her special skills before she had thought about who she was fighting.

For all of a moment, Haruka had felt true fear. She had spent enough time either with Hotaru, or researching on her own to better understand what her 'sister' was learning, to know what had nearly happened. Placing her hands quickly over the ravenette's own, the blonde pressed super-heated air into the ice. She knew she wouldn't burn Hotaru, and if she burned herself, well, she deserved it for doing something so stupidly arrogant.

Her chest heaved as Hotaru forced herself to calm down, squeezing Haruka's hands before letting the ice fall away. ' _I can't lose control like that_!' What was truly amazing was that she had done it under the sun. The moon was nowhere in sight, and couldn't have aided her at all.

Wrapping her arms around the ravenette's shoulders, Haruka murmured, "I'm sorry. You okay?" Their sparring session was officially over, for now. She had crossed a line again. It seemed that she was doing that too much.

"I'm fine!" Her walls were up merely by instinct.

"Hush, Little Princess," the blonde murmured, pressing an intimate, but platonic kiss behind the ravenette's ear. "Even the strongest can sometimes be pushed too far. There's no shame in that." Still, after holding a moment longer, she gently released her little sister.

She stood there a moment longer, forcing her instinct to run and Bloodbend her way out if needed away. Slowly, her heart slowed to its normal tempo. "I'm fine... just, just don't do that ever again."

"I won't." And Haruka knew she never would -- at least, never to Hotaru. A trickle of energy shifted her hair, tips brushing against her ears. Spinning away, she took Hotaru with her, knowing that the girl was still a bit fragile, and not wanting Nate dead. The gust passed harmlessly. "Really?" The look she gave the brunette was somehow both deadpan and disgusted at the same time. "You couldn't wait until the woman who could kill both us us in a second was more composed before getting started again?" She asked herself why she had expected anything more from the blue-eyed Airbender.

"She couldn't kill us both in a second," Nate scoffed.

"...Think about what _else_ a Waterbender can control, and then rethink what you _just_ said." Nate wasn't the smartest, but even Haruka would admit he was sharp enough to realize what she meant. Shaking her head -- he might just prove her wrong, though -- she continued. "Either way, I think we're done for now." Despite having been up early, she and Hotaru had spent more time talking than the blonde had realized, and with the time the three had spent sparring, it was into the afternoon.

But, before Nate could speak, Hotaru moved. Her eyes had darkened, and a crooked grin crossed her features as her fingers arched. She focused, and began to perform the highly illegal act of Bloodbending. Against his will, Nate began to move, as the wind made the Bloodbender's hair float around her and she put him in his place. He ended up on bent knee to her with his head bowed. "I could pull all the blood from your brain, burst your heart, boil your blood, freeze it and you would die without any effort from me. Don't doubt me again, Nathan." She relaxed her stance and released her grip on his blood, letting him collapse.

Haruka just sighed. "See? I tell you things because I'm _usually_ right. Haven't you learned this by now?" Her first instinct had been to stop Hotaru, but then rationality had won out. In that state of mind, the ravenette would merely kill them both. She just needed to let her sister work the moment of true insanity out of her system.

The Bloodbender grinned for a second before it faded as she calmed down. "I'm the Princess of Silence for a reason. It takes me all of a second to kill you, and if I lose my bending, I also specialize in knives. Just like my Grandmother."

"Which is why I try my best not to upset you if I can avoid it," Haruka grinned. "I like living."

"You don't do a very good job of it."

"Yes, but you like me, so I hope that will keep you from killing me if I can't talk my way out of my messes." Yes, they were both ignoring Nate.

"Possibly."

"I'll hope so." Shading her eyes against the sun, Haruka murmured, "Sundown isn't far off. Do you want to spar a bit more, while we still have light, or turn in for the night now?"

"We should turn in; the moon favors me and I prefer to be away when she comes calling."

Nodding, Haruka cast a glance at Nathan. "Should I bother to ask you to make sure he's alright? I get the feeling he'll want to come with us..." A certain redhead that didn't know when to shut-up would probably be glad to see the only friend she had outside of the North. And, though he'd never admit it aloud, she got the feeling that Nathan wanted to see said redhead as well. Haruka had intercepted a few of the letters the two exchanged, and it was plain to see that the jibes and insults they exchanged thinly veiled a sibling-like relationship.

"Medically he's fine, probably just stunned."

"Alright, then." Turning towards the dormitories, and clearly dismissing Nate from her mind, the blonde murmured, "Our usual arrangement, or...?" Usually speaking, Hotaru and Haruka would share a bed on nights like this, as neither slept well alone.

"Just let me feed Cuervo but yes. Unless you have some berries hidden in your room." She smirked teasingly, the Wolfbear had a craving for berries or other fruits that weren't plentiful in the North.

"Maybe I do," Haruka teased, drawing out the first word. In truth, she always kept herself well stocked, as she never really ate on the same schedule that her fellow Airbenders did. She only ate when her body told her it needed food. Sometimes that was a few days apart, and even then it often never aligned with any meal time. So, the stocking of her own food was needed. At this point, she had enough to share, especially since those she was sharing with were her little sister and said sister's Wolfbear.

She smirked and pursed her lips, letting out a short three note tune. Soon enough, her black companion bounded into view, his awkwardly large front paws and dainty back paws kicking up a trail of dust. He panted as he flopped down in front of his best friend and her sister.

"I'm fairly sure this isn't the first time I've had the disturbing urge to treat him like a puppy," the blonde deadpanned. She had only a certain amount of patience with children, and cute animals kind of just made her twitch a bit.

"Well you do spoil him sometimes."

"...How is giving him any berries I have no intention of eating myself spoiling?"

"He doesn't get many berries, we kind of live in a frozen wasteland."

"Only when you can stand to be in the capitol or at the South Pole more than a few days," the blonde Airbender pointed out, as they made their way to the dormitories.

"Well I do some of my best business there."

"True, I'll concede that point to you," Haruka opened the door to allow the ravenette and the Wolfbear to enter her room. "Still not entirely sure how I spoil your canine friend."

"He gets berries and you play fetch with him.”

"I get bored when you don't want to spar. Nate is my only other real competition around here, and I can bend circles around him."

“And I can bend both of you off a cliff,” Hotaru pointed out.

Haruka grinned. "Exactly. You know I enjoy that kind of a challenge."

“With my eyes closed, and no skeins," the ravenette deadpanned.

"And that's just unfair. You could defeat the bloody Avatar like that. Bloodbending," she sighed, "so not fair."

"It's still illegal so shh."

"The walls don't have ears, sister mine." And the blonde was already feeding the dark canine berries. "At least, not here."

"Sorry, I'm use to more... thin walls."

"No worries." Once she was finished feeding her sister's best friend, Haruka stood. "Time to sleep, I think." The sun had just finished setting, and she was tired.

Cuervo licked the blonde's hand once in thanks, before curling up to go to sleep. Hotaru grinned, and patted his head before pulling off her boots and working on the wrap at her waist.

Discreetly wiping the saliva off of her hand, Haruka worked at undressing as well. “Tomorrow a new chapter in our lives begins, I think,” she murmured, wondering where her sudden introspective mood had come from.

"For you at least." She pulled off the wrap and began to undo her vest, the soft inner fur caressing her skin as it fell away.

"Perhaps you as well, if my hunch about the Avatar is correct." Her emerald eyes were dark. "After all, an Avatar needs a special skill, and I know you don't want to be the only one besides Katara and Tarrlok with this cursed skill." Tipping her head to the side a bit, and feeling the wind, she murmured, "I think Korra will need all the weapons – and allies – she can get."

"It's illegal! I could get sent to prison for this!"

"Alright. It was simply a suggestion." Finishing changing into her pajamas, the blonde gestured toward the bed. "I trust your sleeping preferences haven't changed?"

"Nope."

Nodding, Haruka settled into the alcove in which her bed rested, motioning for Hotaru to join her. "We should get some sleep."

The raven slid into the bed and curled into her sister. "I'm going to miss this when you're on the island."

"I'll visit," she murmured, wrapping her arms around the ravenette. "And besides, I'm fairly sure Korra will be willful, so I doubt we'll actually spend much time _on_ the Island." Haruka was quite sure that the Avatar would come to Republic City. Pressing a kiss to her sister's forehead, she murmured, "Sleep, now. I'll still be here when you wake."

"Mhm." She wiggled her hips a bit to get comfy and relaxed, trying to ignore the anxious feeling from the moon rising.

Humming softly, the lullaby meant to sound like wind over streams, Haruka nestled her sister close. In the morning, she would receive her Mastery Tattoos, and then she and Hotaru – with Nate accompanying them, more than likely – would be bound for the North for a bit. Then... then they would be headed for Republic City. Haruka slowly drifted to sleep as well, but as usual, she only slept a bit, even if it were more restful than when she was alone.

With the lullaby soothing her, Hotaru managed to resist the moon's call and fall asleep, waking every once in a while as her nightmares raged.


	2. The Start of Something New

Haruka was awake with the sun, as always, but forewent her morning training to wait until Hotaru woke fully.

The younger bender groaned as she woke slightly later then Haruka, her Fire Nation blood thrumming with the power of the sun. "I am not supposed to be awake this early."

"You're half Fire, Princess," Haruka murmured, smiling a bit. "It's to be expected." Hence why she didn't get claustrophobic unlike most Airbenders, because of her Earth Kingdom blood.

"I rise with both the Moon AND the Sun, I literally cannot go to sleep without one or the other calling for me."

"I would apologize, but I doubt you would appreciate it." Nuzzling into the crown of her sister's head, the blonde murmured, "Do you want to nap a bit more, or should we get up now and train for a bit before the ceremony?"

"I won't be able to sleep anymore, not with Agni calling." She forced herself up and set to getting dressed.

"As you like," Haruka murmured, getting up to dress as well. It struck her she would be leaving today, leaving the closest thing she had had to a home in thirteen years. It didn't surprise her that she wasn't troubled by it. Her things were packed quickly, as she had little aside from a spare set of clothes.

Hotaru grinned and made a soft click with her tongue, Cuervo stood up and stretched. "Want to play Fetch, Haruka?"

Stretching as well, the blonde grinned. "Why not? We probably won't have much time for who knows how long..."

"Cuervo, go get your ball off the ship." Her companion gave her a lick and bounded off. "Well it's going to take at least a day to get to Republic City so we'll stop in a clearing somewhere.

"I thought we were going to the North first?" Haruka lifted an eyebrow questioningly.

"Either way, we'll need to make at least one stop before we get there. I really don't like the idea of returning home so soon, but oh well."

"I was just asking, as I had thought we agreed on that yesterday." And, well, she really did want to see Michiru again... she just didn't know how to say it.

"Whether we do it now or not, I will have to return eventually. I just don't like going home. Ever."

"Better to get it over with sooner rather than later, then, isn't it?"

“Not with the North Pole."

"I've never entirely understood what you dislike about it so much," Haruka admitted. "I understand being nomadic, but really, you hate being there at all, and you've never really said anything about it. So, I sort of always wondered..."

"Inner Politics, I'm an outcast even there and I'd much rather be away from Desna and Eska."

"Are you any more comfortable in the South?" Honestly, Haruka would never have suggested that they return to the North if not for the fact that Michiru was there.

"Since I met Korra? Yes. Before then, I was only accepted by my business partners."

"So, then I suppose we'll both enjoy getting to spend time with her in the future."

"I'd rather be with Asami."

"True. Then I'll see if Michi is alright with letting Korra join for a bit."

"Michi is a drama queen."

"I like to think I calm her down a bit." Of course, some part of Haruka was pretty sure no-one could calm the aquanette down...

"She's also an attention whore."

"...Not that I've noticed?" The blonde was beginning to wonder if love was blind was so often said for a reason.

"Well you're never in the North Pole."

"Is her cousin any better?" Haruka wasn't sure who she would end up killing first, if that were the case -- the redhead or the aquanette.

"Maybe? I don't stay in the capital any longer than necessary."

"Well, I suppose we'll find out, then... Help me hide the tracks if I end up killing anyone from sheer frustration?"

"Um, I can kill them with a twitch before you get to them."

"I suppose that answers my question, then."

At that moment Cuervo returned with his ball. He dropped it at the blonde's feet and wagged his tail.

Smiling at the Wolfbear, Haruka blew the ball a good distance away, but made sure that it wasn't hard enough to send the ball off the mountain.

Cuervo went running off; he loved when Airbenders played fetch with him.

Hotaru grinned at her companion. "Airbenders are better at this, most I can do is throw it with a water tentacle."

"Yes, well, Earthbenders are better at fetch, since the rocks they use generally tend to not go quite as far, or have the tendency to disappear."

"But Airbenders can get that ball to go pretty far." Cuervo dropped the ball in front of Hotaru and she formed a tentacle, grabbed the ball, and threw it. The ball didn't go nearly as far as Haruka's had, so the Wolfbear returned sooner and dropped it in front of the Airbender.

"True, I suppose." She angled the second gust so that it would go farther, but again not off the mountain side. "I just... I still have a hard time believing I'm good at anything, y'know? Even a simple game of fetch... A part of me keeps saying that Kalen could do it better... just like everything else..." She never spoke like this to anyone else, and she would rather swim naked in the Arctic than admit any of this to her brother.

"Well, to be blunt, Kalen sucks. Last time I was in Zaofu, I had to deal with him when he inspected my ship. I know he remembers me, but he acted like he didn't when I tried to talk to him after he was done."

"Does he ever..." Cuervo came back, and Haruka tossed the ball again, gathering her famed resolve. "When you're in Zaofu... does he ever ask about me?" She couldn't say why she wanted to know... just that she wanted to know – needed to know – if her brother and childhood hero ever thought about her at all.

"No. It's like he has no past beyond Zaofu."

Her hands cured into fists, and though she blinked hard, no tears came to her emerald eyes. "Then I truly only have the family I chose for myself. I sort of always knew, but hearing it is something else entirely."

Hotaru uncharacteristically hugged her sister, usually she didn't start the hugs.

Just as Haruka hugged back tightly, they were interrupted by the arrival of the Masters of the Temple. Pulling back, Haruka kissed Hotaru’s forehead. "We should be able to leave a few hours before sundown, since I don't think they'll actually want to have the entire ceremony for me..." Her wry smirk was met with looks of deadpan disinterest from the monks.

A sharp whistle, and Cuervo gave a lick to his ball thrower before heading off towards the ship. Hotaru nodded, and gave the Masters a polite bow, before hurrying after her companion

Haruka got the feeling she would miss her hair for a bit, but this was completely worth it. The tattoos were inked just as any other would have been, but with the Waterbending Healer who resided at the Temple, the process was much smoother. Everything was finished four hours after high noon; the process had taken ten hours in total. Though everything was healed completely, she was given a soft set of trousers and tunic to wear, both in gold with red and orange embroidery.

When she reached the airship dock, she only had one thing to say to Nate's smirk. "…If you make so much as one snide comment about the fact that I'm temporarily bald, I will bend you off this ship and into the middle of the Arctic Ocean." Yet, there was a glimmer of mirth in her eyes, suggesting that while she would do it, she would get him out before he suffered any more than a bit of acute hypothermia.

"Can I really not make just one?"

Emerald eyes narrowed at her second oldest friend. "...Fine. One. But I swear to the Spirts, anything more than that –”

"Once you go bald, there's no growing back!" Nate snickered.

Haruka just blinked. "...I would've thought you could've come up with something better." But her smirk said she wasn't mad. She had learned over the past few years to laugh at herself a little more, after all, and not in a ridiculing manner.

"I wanted to but I didn't want you to decide that you wanted to hurt me anyways."

The new Airbending Master just snickered a bit. "Smart man, you do learn," she teased.

"Well I was forced to bow to a Master yesterday." 

At that moment, Hotaru strode out onto the ramp, wearing a buttoned jacket over her vest and cap. "Someone here called for an airship?"

Gently bopping Nathan on the back of the head, Haruka grinned up at her sister. "That I did, Captain."

"All aboard, then!" She grinned, as Cuervo appeared over her shoulder with his own Captain's hat, slightly askew.

Haruka laughed, allowing Nathan to head up the metal ramp before her. Honestly, she just didn't want him getting any smart ideas. Once she stood beside Hotaru, she offered her sister a smile. "Thank you," she said softly. "You didn't have to do this, and we both know that."

"Course I did, you're my sister. Hige! Show Nate his room!" 

"Aye, Captain!"

The older woman snickered. "I take it he won't quite appreciate it?"

"The Silent Soldier is a fine ship, she's Future Industries finest! Raise the Ramp!" 

"Raising the Ramp!" Two crewwomen raised the ramp and the moorings.

"Yes, well, Nate doesn't know that." Clearly, Haruka found this situation incredibly amusing.

"Set Course for the North Pole!" Hotaru barked orders like a drill sergeant. She also chose to ignore Haruka’s teasing of their mutual friend for the moment.

"Setting Course!" And her crew followed them loyally and precisely.

"All work and no play hm?" The blonde’s lips smirked, but her eyes said she understood.

“At least until we get going," the Waterbender agreed.

Haruka nodded. "I'm going to go take a nap. Come find me when you can, alright?"

"Aye." The ravenette nodded in the affirmative, and the two parted ways for the time being. Hotaru made her way to the bridge, while Haruka made her way to the sleeping quarters for the passengers. The blonde was out the second she fell face-first onto the bed; the fact that she didn’t have tattoos on her stomach was a good thing, since they were prone to being a bit sensitive for a few days at least.

And the airship traveled on…


End file.
